


The World's Gonna Know Your Name

by Gabriella_Marie



Series: The World's Gonna Know Your Name 'Verse [1]
Category: 18th Century CE RPF, 19th Century CE RPF, Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Apparently breeching was a thing, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Canon Era, F/M, Genderbend, Genderbending, Genderswap, Historical Accuracy Attempted, Matriarchy, Meta, Not cringy like you might think, Songfic, Switching of gender roles, The author spent way too long researching colonial-era clothing, The first chapter's kinda rough but the rest is better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 10:39:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16157354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabriella_Marie/pseuds/Gabriella_Marie
Summary: This is basically a retelling of the musical with people's genders and the gender roles underpinning society switched.orAlexandra had never dreamed she’d get this kind of opportunity, especially not this young, but she’d make the most of it. She would make something of herself. She was almost giddy as she packed up her few possessions, a boarding pass sitting heavy in her pocket. She looked out at the ocean, and she could almost imagine that she could see all the way to New York, to the bustling city full of people and opportunity.___Updates on Saturdays (weeks may vary depending on song length)





	1. Waiting in the Wings for You

_[ERIN BURR]_

_How does a_ _bastard, orphan, daughter of a whore and a_

_Scotswoman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten_

_Spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor_

_Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?_

 

_[JOAN LAURENS]_

_The ten-dollar Founding Mother without a mother_

_Got a lot farther by working a lot harder_

_By being a lot smarter_

_By being a self-starter_

_By fourteen, they placed her in charge of a trading charter_

 

Alexandra’s mother had left years back, leaving her and her father without a leg to stand on, which, to be honest, was part of the reason why she was so excited when her boss had promoted her. Aside from a larger salary, the position of power gave her a chance to prove that she was more than what they thought of her at first glance, with her ragged dresses and hollow cheeks.

 

_[THEMIS JEFFERSON]_

_And every day while slaves were being slaughtered and carted_

_Away across the waves, she struggled and kept her guard up_

 

She’d known the promotion would have her working closer with the slavers themselves, but she wasn’t quite prepared for the brutality with which they treated the slaves. On the outside, she kept a straight face, never giving any impression that she thought that anything was wrong, but when no one was watching, she stole glances at the slaves, silently asking for forgiveness, not able to perfect that mental dissonance that prevented the slavers from seeing them as people. She chuckled and laughed with the slavers while making deals, unable to escape the sick feeling pooling deep in her gut.

 

_Inside, she was longing for something to be a part of_

_The sister was ready to beg, steal, borrow, or barter_

 

Nevertheless, she did it, despite her misgivings. If she didn’t do it, someone else would, and she wasn’t stupid enough to give up her chance to work her way out of poverty. But sometimes, she wondered what she was really doing with her life. At the trading charter, she was just another cog in a machine, doing nothing truly meaningful, soon forgotten when she would wink out of existence.

 

_[JANE MADISON]_

_Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned_

_Our woman saw her future drip, dripping down the drain_

 

The hurricane was one of Alexandra’s worst memories. She remembered wind and storm all about her, battering down the island and destroying all she’d ever known. She had been pinned under the wreckage of what had once been her house, trembling, waiting to die. When the hurricane was over and she had been found, her eyes feasted on the morbid sight of the dead bodies scattered all over and the ruins of her community. She let out a small gasp, but did not cry, would not cry. It was just rain down her face. It was just rain.

 

_Put a pencil to her temple, connected it to her brain_

_And she wrote her first refrain, a testament to her pain_

 

The first thing she did when she got her hands on a quill and some paper was to write a letter to her absent mother. She spilled out her tears and frustrations on that sheaf, the ink scratching canyons down her heart.

 

When Alexandra asked her sponsor to send the letter to her mother, she was so amazed at its eloquence and poetry, that she asked Alexandra if she could have permission to publish it in her newsletter.

 

_[BURR]_

_Well, the word got around, they said, “This kid is insane, man”_

_Took up a collection just to send her to the mainland_

 

The consensus agreed upon by many who read the letter was that Alexandra was a woman whose gifts were squandered on the island. With the help of generous donations from Alexandra’s sponsor and her sponsor’s cousin, they were able to raise enough money to get her a spot on a boat headed to New York. There wasn’t enough, of course, to pay for the tuition to Princeton College, but Alexandra was positive that she could get a scholarship.

 

_“Get your education, don’t forget from whence you came, and_

_The world's gonna know your name. What’s your name, woman?”_

 

_[ALEXANDRA HAMILTON]_

_Alexandra Hamilton_

_My name is Alexandra Hamilton_

_And there's a million things I haven't done_

_But just you wait, just you wait…_

 

She’d never dreamed she’d get this kind of opportunity, especially not this young, but she’d make the most of it. She would make something of herself. She was almost giddy as she packed up her few possessions, a boarding pass sitting heavy in her pocket. She looked out at the ocean, and she could almost imagine that she could see all the way to New York, to the bustling city full of people and opportunity.

 

_[ELIJAH HAMILTON]_

_When she was ten her mother split, full of it, debt-ridden_

 

She couldn’t remember the excuses her mother had made anymore, just that they were full of shit. She hadn’t seen her since the day she’d abandoned them to their sorrows. She could still hear her father crying softly at night.

 

_Two years later, see Alex and her father bed-ridden_

_Half-dead sittin' in their own sick, the scent thick_

 

To this day, Alexandra still wasn’t quite sure what they’d caught. She remembered the delirium clearing from her head, almost choking on the putrid smell in the small room, finding her father’s bloated body next to her own, slowly rotting.

 

_[FULL COMPANY EXCEPT HAMILTON (whispering)]_

_And Alex got better but her father went quick_

 

 _[GEORGIA WASHINGTON & COMPANY, _ **_BOTH_ ** _]_

_Moved in with a cousin, the cousin committed suicide_

_Left her with nothin' but ruined pride, something new inside_

_A voice saying_

_“Alex,_ **_you gotta fend for yourself._ ** _”_

 

She had hoped that her cousin would be different, but walking in on her hanging from the ceiling broke something in her that she knew had grown back different. She couldn’t rely on anyone else to take care of her. Whatever she achieved would be through her own hard work.

 

_She started retreatin' and readin' every treatise on the shelf_

 

There was only one achievable way she knew of that a girl from a poor family could rise in status (after all, she couldn’t exactly start a war, could she?) and that was education. She had always loved books, but after her cousin’s suicide, she started devouring everything she could get her hands on, writing frantically.

 

 _[BURR & COMPANY, _ **_BOTH_ ** _]_

_There would have been nothin’ left to do_

_For someone less astute_

_She woulda been dead or destitute_

_Without a cent of restitution_

_Started workin', clerkin' for her late father's landlord_

_Tradin’ sugar cane and rum and all the things she can’t afford_

**_Scammin'_ ** _for every book she can get her hands on_

 **_Plannin'_ ** _for the future_ _see her now as she stands on (ooh)_

_The bow of a ship headed for a new land_

_In New York you can be a new woman_

 

Alexandra could feel the sea breeze tugging at her hair. She looked out over the waves, a smile spreading over her face as she turned to face her future.

 

 _[COMPANY & HAMILTON, _ **_WOMEN_ ** _,_ **_MEN_ ** _]_

_In New York you can be a new woman (Just you wait)_

_In New York you can be a new woman (Just you wait)_

_In New York you can be a new woman_

**_In New York_ ** _,_ **_New York_ **

_Just you wait!_

 

_[COMPANY]_

_Alexandra Hamilton (Alexandra Hamilton)_

_We are waiting in the wings for you (waiting in the wings for you)_

_You could never back down_

_You never learned to take your time!_

_Oh, Alexandra Hamilton (Alexandra Hamilton)_

_When America sings for you_

_Will they know what you overcame?_

_Will they know you rewrote the game?_

_The world will never be the same, oh_

 

She broke her eyes away from the magnificent city as the ship started to dock, picking up her bag and striding over to where the gangplank would be lowered in what she hoped was a confident manner. She tugged at her dress almost absentmindedly as she waited for the ship to finish docking.

 

 _[BURR, WOMEN, & _ **_COMPANY_ ** _]_

_The ship is in the harbor now_

_See if you can spot her_

_Just you wait_

_Another immigrant_

_Comin’ up from the bottom_

**_Just you wait_ **

_Her enemies destroyed her rep_

_America forgot her_

 

_[MULLIGAN/MADISON & LAFAYETTE/JEFFERSON] _

_We fought with her_

 

_[LAURENS/PHOEBE]_

_Me? I died for her_

 

_[WASHINGTON]_

_Me? I trusted her_

 

_[ELIJAH & ADDISON & PERCY/MALLORY] _

_Me? I loved her_

 

_[BURR]_

_And me? I'm the damn fool that shot her_

 

_[COMPANY]_

_There's a million things I haven’t done_

_But just you wait!_

 

Alexandra strode down the gangplank, ready as she’d ever be to start her new life. Her eyes caught on the stately spires of Princeton College towering in the distance and she acquired a determined set to her eyes as her lips started to curl up.

 

_[BURR]_

_What's your name, woman?_

 

_[COMPANY]_

_Alexandra Hamilton!_

 


	2. The Revolution's Imminent

_[COMPANY]_

  1. _New York City_



 

Alexandra couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sights all about her, but despite that, she didn’t stop to chat or to take everything in. She was on a mission. Faces passed through her eyesight and were quickly discarded as she matched them against the image in her mind and found them lacking. She passed a general store, looked at another face, discarded it and turned away before turning to look back in shock. That was her. She was almost certain of it. Well, she considered, was it really because they looked so much alike, or because Alexandra was looking so hard for her, making her see things that weren’t really there? She shook off the thought. Either way, the woman was getting away.

Alexandra rushed across the street in a flurry of skirts, causing a few horses to rear back, but she paid them no mind. Finally catching up with her near a tavern, Alexandra tapped her possibly-hero on the shoulder.

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_Pardon me. Are you Erin Burr, ma'am?_

 

_[BURR]_

_That depends. Who’s asking?_

 

Erin turned around and saw a short woman almost bouncing on her heels with excitement. Her first impression was that she was harmless, but nevertheless, in this time of turmoil, it paid to be prudent. One never knew who could be a British spy or who might wish to do her harm.

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_Oh, well, sure, ma'am_

_I’m Alexandra Hamilton, I’m at your service, ma'am_

_I have been looking for you_

 

She’d been searching for Erin Burr ever since she’d left Princeton college, having heard that she was in the area. And now that she was getting the chance to talk to her idol, she could barely contain her elation.

 

_[BURR]_

_I’m getting nervous_

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_Ma'am…_

_I heard your name at Princeton._ _I was seeking an accelerated academic program when I got into a jam with a buddy of yours. I may have punched her. It’s a blur, ma'am. She handles the financials?_

 

She could still remember it like it had happened 5 minutes ago.

“You want to compress four years of study into two?”

“Yes! Yes, I do.”

She looked down her nose at Alexandra. “Well, I’m afraid that won’t be happening.”

“Well, why not?”

“It’s just that… you’re not exactly-”

“I’m not exactly what? Say it to my face, why don’t you?”

 

She left Princeton with bruises on her knuckles and a newfound resolve to track down Erin Burr.

 

_[BURR]_

_You punched the bursar_

 

Erin looked over Hamilton again, slightly impressed that she had dove into a fistfight with the bursar, who had at least a foot on her, even if it was rather reckless and even if she’d probably have to spend at least an hour listening to Jane’s overexaggerated version of the event the next time she visited her.

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_Yes!_

_I wanted to do what you did. Graduate in two, then join the revolution. She looked at me like I was stupid, I’m not stupid_

 

Just because she didn’t have fancy clothes and wasn’t born in Europe, it didn’t mean she was dumb. Okay, so maybe she was a bit sensitive about that, but you could hardly blame her - she’d been studying and learning with vigor for close to a decade in preparation for this moment. And then - the disdain in that woman’s face, it was palpable. Alexandra was still fuming.

 

_So how’d you do it? How’d you graduate so fast?_

 

_[BURR]_

_It was my parents’ dying wish before they passed_

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_You’re an orphan. Of course! I’m an orphan_

_God, I wish there was a war!_

_Then we could prove that we’re worth more_

_Than anyone bargained for…_

 

Erin saw Alexandra’s face, how she was almost shouting her desire for a war from the rooftops, and let out a sigh. She was going to have to take her under her wing, wasn’t she? She smoothed her skirts and started walking again, Alexandra trying to keep pace.

 

_[BURR]_

_Can I buy you a drink?_

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_That would be nice_

 

Erin Burr wanted to sit down and have a drink with her! Erin Burr. She swung open the tavern door and motioned for Alexandra to sit down at the bar with her.

 

_[BURR]_

_While we’re talking, let me offer you some free advice_

_Talk less_

 

Had Alexandra heard that right? She dearly hoped she hadn’t. All of her elation rushed out of her like a popped balloon. She whispered her answer, not quite willing to believe it.

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_What?_

 

_[BURR]_

_Smile more_

 

She shrunk into herself as Burr’s words battered her against stones. She tried a smile, but it felt small and wavering even to her. She definitely needed a drink.

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_Ha_

 

_[BURR]_

_Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for_

 

Hopefully, her words were getting through Hamilton’s brain. If she wanted to survive, she had to temper her enthusiasm. It was just a good practice to follow.

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_You can’t be serious_

 

Burr couldn’t really be asking her to give up something that was such a large part of her, something that made her who she was. Could she? She wouldn’t. At least, that’s what she had thought of Burr this morning. She was starting to see that her preconceptions of her were turning out to be woefully incorrect.

 

_[BURR]_

_You wanna get ahead?_

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_Yes_

 

_[BURR]_

_Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead_

 

At the astonished look on Hamilton’s face, Erin just barely managed to stifle a groan. Did she not get that they were quite possibly on the verge of war? If she kept spouting off her revolutionary ideals without any care, she could very well end up hanged for treason. As Hamilton was about to open her mouth, the door banged open, a trio of women framed in the open doorway.

 

_[LAURENS]_

_Yo yo yo yo yo!_

_What time is it?_

 

Not these idiots. Why her? As Laurens entered, Erin considered the merits of going home. She was starting to get a headache already.

 

_[LAURENS/LAFAYETTE/MULLIGAN]_

_Show time!_

 

_[BURR]_

_Like I said…_

 

Honestly, Erin was a little amazed that they hadn’t faced any consequences for their actions yet, especially since she knew that the Queen was clamping down on dissidents in an effort to keep her colonies in line.

 

_[LAURENS]_

_Show time! Show time! Yo!_

_I’m Joan Laurens in the place to be!_

 

Joan could feel eyes on her, but that was just the way she liked it. She grabbed a lager off the table and downed half of it as she beckoned her friends inside.

 

_Two pints o’ Sam Adams, but I’m workin’ on three, uh!_

_Those redcoats don’t want it with me!_

_Cuz I will pop chick-a pop these cops till I’m free!_

 

Joan locked eyes with one of the aforementioned redcoats, who had a scowl on her face at Joan’s words. Joan gave a mental shrug. She hadn’t realized that any of them were there, but they wouldn’t do anything in so public a venue, she was certain, and especially not to a pregnant woman.

 

_[LAFAYETTE]_

_Oui oui, mon ami, je m’appelle Lafayette!_

 

Giselle gave a small bow as she strode in to join Laurens. She had a smile on her face as her eyes darted around the bar. America so far was everything she had imagined it to be and more.

 

_The Lancelot of the revolutionary set!_

_I came from afar just to say “Bonsoir!”_

 

Sure, her mother-in-law had tried to put out a warrant for her arrest when she had left to join the revolutionary cause, but no hard feelings. The betrayal had been quickly overshadowed by the feeling of camaraderie she’d found upon the arrival of the _Victoir_ in the Americas.

 

 _Tell the Queen “Casse toi!”_ _Who’s the best?_

_C’est moi!_

Giselle hoped that her people would take this revolution as inspiration to strike out against their own nigh-villainous queen. The third estate had been oppressed by the upper classes for far too long. She could feel it in the air. Revolution was nigh, and not just here.

 

_[MULLIGAN]_

_Brrrah brraaah! I am Hercules Mulligan_

_Up in it, lovin’ it,_ _yes I heard ya father said “Come again?”_

 

_[LAFAYETTE & LAURENS] _

_Ayyyyy_

 

Hercules smirked as she heard Lafayette and Laurens’s reactions. Sure, she wasn’t rich like them, but she embraced her crudeness. Besides, she had every right to brag. She really was a sex goddess.

 

_[MULLIGAN]_

_Lock up ya sons and horses, of course_

_It’s hard to have intercourse over four sets of corsets…_

 

Hercules looked down at her dress almost mournfully as she recalled that cute farmer boy she’d seduced a few weeks back. She’d almost passed out when she’d orgasmed, her corsets cutting off her airflow. Lesson learned, traitorous clothing. Lesson learned.

 

_[LAFAYETTE]_

_Wow_

 

_[LAURENS]_

_No more sex, pour me another brew, hun!_

_Let’s raise a couple more…_

 

Joan leaned forwards in her chair, cutting off Mulligan, and raised her tankard, some of the lager spilling over the sides, her friends only waiting a beat before raising theirs up as well and clinking them against each other.

 

_[LAURENS/LAFAYETTE/MULLIGAN]_

_To the revolution!_

 

Alexandra was watching the three women in fascination. She wanted to be them, so confident and assured of themselves, not afraid to say what they thought. She had just resolved that she’d go over and talk to them when they stood up and started coming over to her table.

 

_[LAURENS]_

_Well, if it ain’t the prodigy of Princeton college!_

 

Joan suddenly noticed a very familiar face over Lafayette's shoulder and poked Mulligan to get her to look.

“Is that-” Mulligan hissed.

“It is, I’m sure of it!”

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

“You got that right!”

Joan walked over to the nearby table, flanked by her friends, and leaned over, drawling out her words.

 

_[MULLIGAN]_

_Erin Burr!_

 

_[LAURENS]_

_Give us a verse, drop some knowledge!_

 

Even if she was going to elaborate on her views, Erin certainly wasn’t going to do it to them. They’d spread it all over and her carefully crafted reputation would be ruined. She took a sip of her beer to avoid having to speak for a moment.

 

_[BURR]_

_Good luck with that: you’re takin’ a stand_

_You spit. I’m ‘a sit. We’ll see where we land_

 

_[LAFAYETTE/MULLIGAN]_

_Boooo!_

 

They’d heard of Burr’s indecisiveness, but this was taking it to a whole new level, especially because from what Hercules was seeing, open rebellion could start any day now. Burr, hesitant to the very end. She felt her lip curl up at the thought.

 

_[LAURENS]_

_Burr, the revolution’s imminent. What do you stall for?_

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_If you stand for nothing, Burr, what’ll you fall for?_

 

She couldn’t believe she had just said that. It had just popped out. But as Alexandra looked to the pleasantly surprised expressions on Laurens, Lafayette, and Mulligan’s faces, who seemed to have just noticed her for the first time, she found that she didn’t regret it one bit.

 

_[MULLIGAN/LAFAYETTE/LAURENS]_

_Ooh_

_Who are you?_

_Who are you?_

_Who are you?_

 

_[MULLIGAN/LAFAYETTE/LAURENS]_

_Ooh, who is this kid? What’s she gonna do?_


	3. Rise Up (I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that it's been far too long since I've updated, so here's the first half of My Shot to make up for it!
> 
> Also, if you're enjoying this, maybe comment and tell me what you think? It takes a really long time to write this, so it's really nice to be able to know that people are liking it and what their thoughts are!

They were all looking at Alexandra expectantly (well, except for Burr, who had an affronted look on her face.) She knew that if she waited much longer, the silence would become awkward, so, quashing any nervousness she might have felt, Alexandra stood up from the table and started elucidating on her opinions like Burr wouldn’t.

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_I am not throwing away my shot!_

_I am not throwing away my shot!_

_Hey yo, I’m just like my country_

_I’m young, scrappy and hungry_

_And I’m not throwing away my shot!_

 

Not after everything her island had done to get her here, she sure as hell wasn’t. Alexandra was going to grab any opportunity she could find by the throat and not let go. She was about to elaborate on how she was going to get into Princeton when she remembered that she had probably demolished any chance she had of being accepted when she’d punched the bursar in the face. But that was okay - there were plenty of other colleges around these parts. She remembered a large campus she had passed while looking for Burr. What was the name?

 

_I’m ‘a get a scholarship to Queen’s College_

_I prob’ly shouldn’t brag, but dag,_ _I amaze and astonish_

_The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish_

 

And everyone constantly underestimated her because of that. Now, don’t get her wrong, there was always that satisfaction at the dumbstruck look on their faces when they assumed her to be nothing but a crude, unintelligent peasant girl and she proved them wrong, but it did grate on her after a while. How was she supposed to take her shot if no one would even give her the chance to do so?

 

_I gotta holler just to be heard_

_With every word, I drop knowledge!_

 

She knew she was smarter than a lot of the women who only got into the universities because of their wealthy parents and large donations surreptitiously made. She couldn’t really do anything about it from where she was right now, but seeing their self-aggrandizing and classist deals with one another made a spark of rage broil in her.

 

_I’m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal_

_Tryin’ to reach my goal. My power of speech: unimpeachable_

 

Well, it wasn’t bragging if it was true, was it? Her words had gotten her to the mainland, were what she’d make her legacy with. She looked at the three women she was trying to impress and they were nudging each other, nodding along with her. Newly emboldened, she plunged back in, emphasizing and enunciating her words.

_Only nineteen but my mind is older_

_These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder_

_Ev’ry burden, ev’ry disadvantage_

 

Let’s just say that she hadn’t exactly found a warm place to sleep quite yet. It was all Alexandra could do to find a dry place on the streets so she wouldn’t ruin one of her (very few) dresses. It was going to start snowing soon, she knew, and she only hoped that she’d get into college before then so she wouldn’t get frostbite and possibly freeze to death. She was already starting to forget the heat of her island, starting to feel like she might never be warm again.

 

_I have learned to manage, I don’t have a gun to brandish_

_I walk these streets famished_

 

But it was okay, she could manage, she could do this. She knew she could. Sure, Alexandra had never really had much money to begin with, and considering that she hadn’t gotten into college yet or gotten a job, her savings were starting to get low, but she was able to get by regarding food, (she supposed). Well, in truth, if she was really being honest with herself, she knew that that wasn’t quite accurate, that it was never quite enough to leave her feeling fulfilled, and that if she looked down at her arms, they would be noticeably skinnier than they had been when she’d arrived. Her hollow stomach, thus far temporarily satiated by the offering of beer, let out a grumble, which Alexandra quickly tried to cover up with her next words.

 

_The plan is to fan this spark into a flame_

_But damn, it’s getting dark, so let me spell out the name_

_I am the—_

 

The tension was so thick that she could feel it in the air, had felt it ever since she’d arrived. America was at a tipping point, on the verge of revolution, and all it would take was a small push to send it over the edge, one small spark to set the already-gathered kindling aflame.

 

_[HAMILTON/LAFAYETTE/MULLIGAN/LAURENS]_

_A-L-E-X-A-N-D-R-A—we are—meant to be…_

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_A colony that runs independently_

Alexandra could see that now, could see how Britain was oppressing her newfound country. They had always been their own country, in truth, under British rule in name alone. So long as they could be their own country in practice, it hadn’t mattered much if they were independent in name. However, now that Queen Georgia had clamped down on her colonies, was trying to make America subservient, was trying to make it something it had never been, they simply couldn’t stand idle anymore. Rebellion was imminent and America would be reborn like a phoenix from the ashes, finally truly free in its independence.

 

_Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin’ on us endlessly_

_Essentially, they tax us relentlessly_

 

And, besides the fact that Britain had never really had any real authority over America, any real ability to tax it, the taxes hit hardest those who could least afford to pay. Tea and paper were staples, things people simply couldn’t go without and Britain, poking its nose where it didn’t belong, was placing unfair burdens on the backs of not just poor Americans, but all Americans.

 

_Then Queen Georgia turns around, runs a spending spree_

_She ain’t ever gonna set her descendants free_

_So there will be a revolution in this century_

 

And would Queen Georgia even use the money stolen from America to help it? No. She wouldn’t. Instead, she’d rather use their hard-earned money to throw herself lavish parties and pay carelessly racked-up debts America had no part in creating. America was nothing more than a cash cow to her, and they’d known that, but with the oppression she’d foisted upon them, she had killed the goose that laid the golden egg. They could take the tyranny no longer. They would rise up, Alexandra was sure of it.

 

_Enter me!_

 

_[LAFAYETTE/MULLIGAN/LAURENS]_

_(She says in parentheses)_

 

Alexandra was here, she was ready, she was willing, and she would make herself a place in this revolution.

 

_[HAMILTON]_

_Don’t be shocked when your hist’ry book mentions me_

_I will lay down my life if it sets us free_

 

This was her country now, and she would do her all to defend it. Alexandra wasn’t scared of death, not anymore, and if she was to die, what better way to do it than fighting for a cause she believed in?

 

_Eventually, you’ll see my ascendancy_

 

Besides, war, even more so than education, was one of the few ways to rise in status. In war, promotion was far more merit based than in any other times. If Alexandra was loyal enough, smart enough, good enough, if she received command, she could rise to a higher station after war’s end.

 

 _[HAMILTON & _ **_LAURENS_ ** _]_

_And I am not throwing away_

_My shot_ **_(my shot)_ **

_I am not throwing away_

_My shot_ **_(my shot)_ **

_Hey yo, I’m just like my country_

_I’m young, scrappy and hungry_

_And I’m not throwing away my shot_

**_And I'm not throwing away my shot_ **

 

Joan had pretty much forgotten about Burr, so engrossed was she in the other woman’s tale. She felt a swell of excitement well up in her at finding a like-minded person, someone else who, like her and her friends, was all for war and wasn’t afraid to show it. This, she thought to herself, was someone she’d be happy to get to know.

_[HAMILTON/MULLIGAN/LAURENS/LAFAYETTE]_

_I am not throwing away my shot_

_I am not throwing away my shot_

_Hey yo, I’m just like my country_

_I’m young, scrappy and hungry_

_And I’m not throwing away my shot_

_It’s time to take a shot!_

 

Erin seemed to be rooted to her chair, unable, no matter how she tried, to leave, to tear her eyes away from this trainwreck. She subtly shifted away from them, hoping to ensure no one would associate her with the morons screaming their anti-monarchist ideals to the roof in front of the Queen’s soldiers. Oh, dear father of God, one of the pregnant ones had just jumped onto a table. She should leave. She needed to leave, but Erin supposed it was a kind of morbid curiosity that kept her there, watching, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

_[LAFAYETTE]_

_I dream of life without a monarchy_

 

So maybe this hadn’t been the best idea Giselle had ever had. A seven month pregnant woman on a wobbly table? That was just tempting fate. Despite her passion for drama, Giselle had to bow to common sense, and started to climb back to the floor as she continued to talk.

 

_The unrest in France will lead to ‘onarchy?_

 

Her family was favored by the _oh so high and mighty_ Queen Lucille, yes, but she was far more loyal to the peasants that had worked on their estate than she was to any royal. The age of monarchy was ending, she was sure, and while the revolution may be starting here, it would spread across the ocean soon, she was sure. The Queen was dead, long live the people!

 

_‘Onarchy? How you say, how you say, ‘anarchy?’_

 

Giselle felt her tongue slow as she stumbled over the word. All that was coming to mind was _anarchie_ , and while she was sure that the English version was something similar, she couldn’t remember it for the life of her. Thankfully, Laurens leaned over with a swoosh of her skirts to whisper the correct pronunciation into her ear. And so, with only a bit of fumbling, she continued to add to the clamor of revolution.

 

_When I fight, I make the other side panicky_

_With my—_

 

_[HAMILTON/LAURENS/LAFAYETTE/MULLIGAN]_

_Shot!_

 

The tutors in fighting techniques she’d insisted on having when she was younger had really paid off. She preferred the bayonet, but Giselle was still a pretty damn accurate shot with a gun. She’d apply those skills here, and by helping the Americans throw off their chains, she’d inspire her homeland. Those on the other side would see it could be done. Giselle knew how important this moment was, not just for America, but for the rest of the world.

 

_[MULLIGAN]_

_Yo, I’m a tailor’s apprentice_

 

Hercules had mad respect for her friends and their ideals, but to be honest, her concerns were far more practical. She’d taken an apprenticeship with a tailor, even though she didn’t really like the work, because she knew that with her parents’ stations, that would be the most she could ever make out of herself.

 

_And I got y’all knuckleheads in loco parentis_

_I’m joining the rebellion cuz I know it’s my chance_

_To socially advance, instead of sewin’ some pants!_

 

War, now that was where the opportunity lay. War, if you survived and were on the winning side, could secure you a higher station, a more comfortable life. War was where she was going to win her power.

 

_I’m gonna take a—_

 

_[HAMILTON/LAURENS/LAFAYETTE/MULLIGAN]_

_Shot!_

 

Hercules felt her heart beating faster, adrenaline swelling up in her as she spoke. She looked at the others, a fond smile forming as they cheered her on.

 

_[LAURENS]_

_But we’ll never be truly free_

_Until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me_

 

Her own mother was a slaveholder, and that was a shame she carried with her, that stained her soul. Even if Joan couldn’t free the slaves on her family estate (at least not until it passed to her), she could do all she could to ensure that as many slaves were freed as possible. Because, in truth, black women really weren’t any different from them, not like so many women thought. They had visited a grievous wrong on their sisters and she had to make up for it, in any way she could.

 

_You and I. Do or die. Wait till I sally in_

_On a stallion with the first black battalion_

 

It was a dream of hers, really. She’d recruit a battalion of black soldiers and help them to win their freedom through battle. Not only would they win their freedom and clear the path for more black women to fight, but people would see that they could fight just as well as white women, and it would thus challenge their preconceptions of black people as inherently inferior. Joan could do it. It was only a matter of time.

 

_Have another—_

 

_[HAMILTON/LAURENS/LAFAYETTE/MULLIGAN]_

_Shot!_

 

They clanked their mugs together, minds starting to soften around the edges with the pleasant haze of alcohol, laughing and talking.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're enjoying my work so far, consider commenting or dropping me a bit of money on Patreon? https://www.patreon.com/Gabriella_Marie


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